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MVC/MWC Challenge Pairings

Da Coach

Da Coach

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The pairings for next year's first MVC-MWC Challenge are due to be announced today. Watch for the news.
 
MVC/MWC Challenge Pairings

The pairings will be announced sometime today. Evansville will be the only team left out. I have a couple guesses as to how they will pair. I'm assuming it will go by either current W/L, current RPI, or last seasons conference finish. If it is anyone of those three, here are my guesses per each.

Current W/L: Bradley v. Wyoming
Current RPI: Bradley v. San Diego State
Last year Conference Standing: Bradley v. Utah

Discuss.
 
UNI is already hosting Wyoming next year, so I would assume that game would be incorporated in the challenge.
 
cpacmel said:
SIU is rumored to get UNLV. (according to their AD)

And I believe it's already been announced that Creighton is getting New Mexico, since that game was already on the schedule anyways.
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Wasn't the "challenge" designed to provide another competitive game/opponent for each team? Why then would games already scheduled be included? Doesn't that defeat the purpose for the arrangement between the conferences?
 
tornado said:
Good question, but probably it is an advantage for the various teams to begin as early as possibly making scheduling arrangements, travel arrangements, and setting up their dates for next year.
None of us think much about this, but all the complex arrangements for where BU is playing next year are already being worked on regularly and continuously.
Have you not received your brochure for the trip to Las Vegas?? This kind of stuff needs to be worked out early, you can't expect to find hotel space for a whole big bunch of people at the last minute.
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I'm not questioning the need for making these types of arrangements early...just the wisdom of using games already scheduled for next year (pre-challenge) as the matchups for the actual "challenge" between the conferences. I thought the purpose of having such an arrangement was to provide an additional competitive game for each team...not to piggy-back off games that were already scheduled for next year!
 
I'm sure we've probably covered this before but I can't remember. Are we home or away for year 1 of the challenge, or is that not determined yet?
 
I would have guessed Air Force until they torn down our hanger last year.
 
Wow, tough draw! BYU is a legit top-15 team this season, and while they'll lose Lee Cummard (arguably their best player), they'll return the rest of their top 7 next season and figure to again be a really good team. The upside for BU is that a road loss to BYU wouldn't look bad, while a road win would be a huge resume builder.

It should be a great early test for what figures to be a Bradley team on the rise, with every guard returning (and adding a healthy Andrew Warren). Up front, Taylor Brown looks legit to me at PF, so BU will really just need two other big guys to play credible minutes to have a really solid rotation. With the list of big men on the roster (Egolf, Thompson, Prosser, Knezevic, and possibly Wilkins), it's not hard to see how Bradley could put a really good team on the floor next year. Should be a fun early season matchup!
 
mportsch said:
Wow, tough draw! BYU is a legit top-15 team this season, and while they'll lose Lee Cummard (arguably their best player), they'll return the rest of their top 7 next season and figure to again be a really good team. The upside for BU is that a road loss to BYU wouldn't look bad, while a road win would be a huge resume builder.

It should be a great early test for what figures to be a Bradley team on the rise, with every guard returning (and adding a healthy Andrew Warren). Up front, Taylor Brown looks legit to me at PF, so BU will really just need two other big guys to play credible minutes to have a really solid rotation. With the list of big men on the roster (Egolf, Thompson, Prosser, Knezevic, and possibly Wilkins), it's not hard to see how Bradley could put a really good team on the floor next year. Should be a fun early season matchup!
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Taylor Brown is more suited for the 3 position.
 
mportsch said:
Wow, tough draw! BYU is a legit top-15 team this season, and while they'll lose Lee Cummard (arguably their best player), they'll return the rest of their top 7 next season and figure to again be a really good team. The upside for BU is that a road loss to BYU wouldn't look bad, while a road win would be a huge resume builder.

It should be a great early test for what figures to be a Bradley team on the rise, with every guard returning (and adding a healthy Andrew Warren). Up front, Taylor Brown looks legit to me at PF, so BU will really just need two other big guys to play credible minutes to have a really solid rotation. With the list of big men on the roster (Egolf, Thompson, Prosser, Knezevic, and possibly Wilkins), it's not hard to see how Bradley could put a really good team on the floor next year. Should be a fun early season matchup!
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Don't count on Prosser, Milos...NOT that they won't be OK but I have learned to NOT count on freshman. You, more often then not, are in for a letdown.

Wilkins...well you know the story here.

Thompson....oh yeah, BU does have a guy by that name. Sorry...but I don't see much from AT until he's a jr.

Egolf.....if he's back to where he was health wise he could be real valuable.

Warren is the closest thing to a lock for helping us next year .

IF JP and MK can contribute..GREAT. IF JW gets here and is the real deal...WOOO HOOOO.


Just sayin....
 
mportsch said:
Wow, tough draw! BYU is a legit top-15 team this season, and while they'll lose Lee Cummard (arguably their best player), they'll return the rest of their top 7 next season and figure to again be a really good team. The upside for BU is that a road loss to BYU wouldn't look bad, while a road win would be a huge resume builder.
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Um yeah that is an understatement...

BYU had some ridiculously long win streak until they lost against still undefeated Wake Forest last week...

I believe it was in the 40+ game range...
 
georgethedog said:
Taylor Brown is more suited for the 3 position.
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He's the best "per possession" rebounder on the team and hasn't shown any outside shooting ability (thus far he's 15% from downtown and 48% from the foul line). He does, however, shoot 52% from inside the arc and can block some shots. He's an undersized PF, and looks like he can be a good one.

Besides, there's no minutes available for him as a 3 on next year's Bradley team - you've got to figure Maniscalco, Warren, McCain, Norris, and Roberts will all be playing signficant minutes in the backcourt.
 
mportsch said:
He's the best "per possession" rebounder on the team and hasn't shown any outside shooting ability (thus far he's 15% from downtown and 48% from the foul line). He does, however, shoot 52% from inside the arc and can block some shots. He's an undersized PF, and looks like he can be a good one.

Besides, there's no minutes available for him as a 3 on next year's Bradley team - you've got to figure Maniscalco, Warren, McCain, Norris, and Roberts will all be playing signficant minutes in the backcourt.
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With Egolf, Thompson, Prosser, and Knezevic at the 5 or the 4 there is not a lot of room there either, but I think the 4 is where Brown will play most of his minutes. And Brown has a leg up on Prosser an Knezevic having a year in the system under his belt.
 
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